Winter arrives in Greater Taunton in full force

The city of Taunton and its surrounding area was hit with its first major snowstorm of the winter with snowfall accumulating nearly 5 inches in Taunton as of 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service Forecast Office.

The city of Taunton and its surrounding area was hit with its first major snowstorm of the winter with snowfall accumulating nearly 5 inches in Taunton as of 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service Forecast Office.

Plows and other snow removal equipment were out in the early morning hours on Saturday to clear the roads as much as possible, according to Fred Cornaglia, Commissioner of the Taunton Department of Public Works (DPW).

“We started at eight o’clock this morning,” he said. “That’s when we sent the people out to sand, salt and plow, and that’s where we’ve been ever since.”

Sixty-two pieces of equipment were working throughout the day to clear 246 miles of road in Taunton, according to Cornaglia. He also noted that there are nearly 500 miles of road to clear when you consider that a plow can only clear one half of a street at a time.

“We’re out here to get the streets passable for tomorrow,” he said. “The roads are good as far as the roads being passable for emergency equipment.”

Cornaglia said that the main priority of the DPW is to first clear main roads and connectors so emergency vehicles can still get to most parts of the city. Side streets are then cleared as the workers catch up to the storm, he said.

“People will be there (clearing roads) until the roads are passable,” he added.

MassDOT

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) also had 2,700 pieces of equipment being used throughout the state and over 1,000 in Southeastern Massachusetts, according to Fred DePaola, Highway Administrator for MassDOT.

“We were pre-treating the roads before 6 a.m.,” said DePaola from the Southeastern MassDOT headquarters on County Street. “What we do is when we know a storm event is coming, ... we go out and pre-treat the roads with salt to prevent black ice. Once it starts to build up to a significant amount, we plow.”

“So far this is the biggest event this season,” he added.

DePaola also said he’s heard of a few spinouts caused by the snow, including a tractor trailer that lost control near exit 27 on I-495 in Bolton.

“There’s been a few cars off the road. But if people watched their speed, it probably wasn’t necessary,” he said.

He also reminded drivers to drive with caution in the snowy conditions.

“We do recommend that people keep their speeds down, and if you don’t need to go out, stay in and let our plows do their job,” he said.

Cornaglia also recommended that people stay in if they can.

“Most residents would understand, in the beginning, to let the people go out and do their jobs so that the roads can be passable when the weather gets better,” he said.

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Parking ban

Mayor Thomas Hoye, in his first major snowstorm as mayor of Taunton, issued a parking ban at 7 a.m. effective from noon to midnight on Saturday.

“We have to give the parking ban to give the plow trucks the opportunity to do their job, and it’s very difficult with cars in public places,” said Hoye.

Hoye, who’s served as DPW Chairman on the City Council for the past four years, is used to handling major snowstorms, and he tried to keep the parking ban as short as possible.

“I tried to shorten the length because we’ve had complaints in the past,” said Hoye.

Hoye issued the parking ban working in coordination with the Taunton Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

“Long before the storm hits, we’re in touch with the National Weather Service and (the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency),” said Richard Ferreira, commissioner of TEMA. “... With the parking ban, we follow the weather very closely and make recommendations to the mayor.”

Ferreira also said the parking ban was issued after the National Weather Service increased their predicted snow totals.

“It’s all about expectations,” he added.

Hoye said he had been in communication with the DPW all day Saturday, and was pleased with what they had been able to accomplish.

“Our crews have done a great job,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know this, but Taunton has the most roads in the state of Massachusetts. It’s a difficult task to get the streets cleared.”

Hoye also said Sunday’s focus for the DPW will be clearing sidewalks around schools for Monday, and he cautioned residents about using the roads during bad weather.

“Only go out if you have to, and if you have to, drive carefully,” Hoye said.